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03-16-2014, 05:14 PM
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4 posts, read 4,040 times
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I will be visiting the area next week and would like to tour a few houses and get a sense of the different towns in the Triangle. Right now we are just looking at the general region (Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary) to see if it would be a good fit for us so we haven't narrowed things down to a specific town. I would like someone who knows all of these areas well.
Budget would be around 350-500k, 2000+ sq ft, looking at both newer neighborhoods and established neighborhoods with pool, playground, access to walking trails and possibly some walkability to amenities such as post office & library and/or restaurants. I have some homes bookmarked but would welcome the insight of a professional.
I'd love to find a realtor who is well versed in specific towns and the pros and cons of them. I will have an infant with me so it would be nice to have someone who will understand that I need to be flexible-ish with times & schedules, and who will be very direct (ie. "here's the type of people we are...tell me where we might fit in") and to the point. Certainly I want someone to be friendly & personable, but I won't have the luxury of going at a leisurely pace due to the baby. He's easygoing, but he's still a baby and I have to maximize my time!
Feel free to direct message me with info if you have a recommendation of someone who could meet our needs. Thank you so much!
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03-16-2014, 05:26 PM
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Location: My House
34,886 posts, read 34,987,700 times
Reputation: 26374
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The Triangle is pretty spread out. In my opinion, you'd be better served by narrowing down your search parameters, then finding a realtor. As it is now, any realtor you find would be likely to steer you toward the area s/he is most familiar with that would meet your needs vs steering you solely to the area that best meets your needs.
Is it possible for you to look around online first and estimate commute times (if you will have a commute)?
This may cross some areas off your list right away.
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ 
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03-16-2014, 05:45 PM
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Location: North Carolina
1,764 posts, read 2,771,050 times
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I agree with Meh_Whatever. This area is huge and it will take some time exploring even with a very specialized Realtor.
We rented for four months and it took that time EVERY weekend to find our home in Apex. The elementary school is rated "10" and the subdivision is quiet and clean, so the Realtor did a good job on that aspect. It's just so hard to know the "personality climate" until you live in an area. If I could redo things, I would have rented longer and maybe rented in different areas to determine if it was a good "personality fit" before buying. I've visited friends in other subdivisions in Apex and am amazed at how different they are just a few miles away. I'm living and learning, though! Now I know!
Good luck in your search and wear comfortable shoes (smile).
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03-16-2014, 05:47 PM
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Location: Chapelboro
12,770 posts, read 15,506,791 times
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I agree with meh. I think there are some realtors who do travel all over the Triangle, but it is hard to be really specialized in your knowledge of Wake Forest, Clayton and also Carrboro.
Most of the realtors I know in Chapel Hill/Carrboro specialize in properties in Orange & Chatham counties, possibly western Durham.
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03-16-2014, 06:00 PM
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Location: under the beautiful Carolina blue
22,374 posts, read 34,945,853 times
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I agree too. I would find it hard to believe that there is a realtor who can find you the kind of neighborhood you seek in every area of the Triangle. It's way too big of an area.
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03-16-2014, 06:14 PM
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4 posts, read 4,040 times
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Great to know. We have visited our friends who live there but didn't have a "could we live here" mindset at the time. We only saw their immediate area and they aren't too knowledgeable about other towns since they knew where they wanted to live when they moved there.
We don't have any commute times yet since we are just looking at the area in a more general sense. If we end up moving, we'd definitely rent for 6 months to a year before buying anything. We are currently living in a much more expensive region so the price of housing is a major factor (though not the only factor) as we consider making the move to NC. Our friends love living there and have really talked it up!
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03-16-2014, 07:41 PM
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56 posts, read 91,419 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by monarchwatcher
I will be visiting the area next week and would like to tour a few houses and get a sense of the different towns in the Triangle. Right now we are just looking at the general region (Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary) to see if it would be a good fit for us so we haven't narrowed things down to a specific town. I would like someone who knows all of these areas well.
Budget would be around 350-500k, 2000+ sq ft, looking at both newer neighborhoods and established neighborhoods with pool, playground, access to walking trails and possibly some walkability to amenities such as post office & library and/or restaurants. I have some homes bookmarked but would welcome the insight of a professional.
I'd love to find a realtor who is well versed in specific towns and the pros and cons of them. I will have an infant with me so it would be nice to have someone who will understand that I need to be flexible-ish with times & schedules, and who will be very direct (ie. "here's the type of people we are...tell me where we might fit in") and to the point. Certainly I want someone to be friendly & personable, but I won't have the luxury of going at a leisurely pace due to the baby. He's easygoing, but he's still a baby and I have to maximize my time!
Feel free to direct message me with info if you have a recommendation of someone who could meet our needs. Thank you so much!
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I could have written your post, I will be traveling to check out the are in May. You are not alone in needing a baby/toddler friendly realtor. Let me know if you find one! |
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03-16-2014, 08:43 PM
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Location: Raleigh, NC
6,767 posts, read 8,593,469 times
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If you want a neighborhood that is central to everything, I'd suggest you take a look at Brier Creek in NW Raleigh, especially the Brier Creek Country Club. Most parts of the triangle are a 20-30 minute drive, maximum.
I looked at 87 properties with my realtor who was ready to kill me. I looked almost everywhere with the exception of Cary because my partner and I thought it was too far away from his job.
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03-17-2014, 08:02 AM
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150 posts, read 216,284 times
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If you're planning to rent at first, you don't really need a realtor right now; you need an apartment or rental. You can gauge house values and neighborhoods by picking up one of the many freebie home sales magazines.
Your instinct to rent first and be more careful and leisurely about looking for real estate is a good one. Consider focusing on finding a rental in a central area, then explore the areas that interest you and the small towns around (Cary, Apex, Morrisville, etc.) once you have a home base. You'll probably feel more oriented and solid once you're in a place to stay.
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03-17-2014, 08:13 AM
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Location: Raleigh, NC
12,475 posts, read 31,440,333 times
Reputation: 9441
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Quote:
Originally Posted by monarchwatcher
I will be visiting the area next week and would like to tour a few houses and get a sense of the different towns in the Triangle. Right now we are just looking at the general region (Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary) to see if it would be a good fit for us so we haven't narrowed things down to a specific town. I would like someone who knows all of these areas well.
Budget would be around 350-500k, 2000+ sq ft, looking at both newer neighborhoods and established neighborhoods with pool, playground, access to walking trails and possibly some walkability to amenities such as post office & library and/or restaurants. I have some homes bookmarked but would welcome the insight of a professional.
I'd love to find a realtor who is well versed in specific towns and the pros and cons of them. I will have an infant with me so it would be nice to have someone who will understand that I need to be flexible-ish with times & schedules, and who will be very direct (ie. "here's the type of people we are...tell me where we might fit in") and to the point. Certainly I want someone to be friendly & personable, but I won't have the luxury of going at a leisurely pace due to the baby. He's easygoing, but he's still a baby and I have to maximize my time!
Feel free to direct message me with info if you have a recommendation of someone who could meet our needs. Thank you so much!
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Our housing market is moving very quickly, which means that any home you look at today won't be around in a month or less.
My suggestion would be to make a few calls to Real Estate Offices and speak with different Agents.
Be honest, explain what you are trying to accomplish. Find someone that can answer your questions.
You won't need to really meet with an Agent at this time but it would be helpful to have someone to guide you. It would be helpful for you to have an Agent explain how the process works and the forms necessary.
You may need an agent that knows Wake County and another agent that knows Orange County unless you happen to find someone that has lived here a while and knows both areas. It is difficult to know every single neighborhood in such a large area BUT most agents can research and find the information necessary.
Best of luck!
Vicki |
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